Trump Defends Victims Fund and Pushes Blanche as Cornyn Feud Deepens
Trump ties Cornyn's opposition to a proposed compensation fund to his primary loss and demands Todd Blanche be confirmed as attorney general.
WASHINGTON D.C. — Donald J. Trump defended a proposed compensation fund for people he calls victims of government abuse and pressed the Senate to confirm Todd Blanche as U.S. attorney general.
The fund would compensate what Trump described as “American Patriots” prosecuted under the previous administration, and would not benefit him personally, he said in a truthsocial post. He named John Cornyn, the four-term Texas senator who lost his Republican primary in May, as an opponent who once agreed with him. “I will always feel that these victims of government abuse should be paid back for what they were forced to endure, their lives have been ruined,” Trump said in the post. The dispute lands as a small group of departing Republican senators press for assurances that the fund will not reward participants in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, a fight that could shape Blanche’s confirmation vote and test Trump’s leverage over his own party.
Here is the full post on truthsocial: “John Cornyn never had a problem with the so called “Fund,” which will not benefit me, but rather the great American Patriots who were hunted down like dogs and whose lives were unfairly and illegally destroyed by the Crooked Joe Biden Administration, until after I decided to Endorse and Support his Republican Primary opponent in Texas, who easily won the Nomination for the United States Senate. Perhaps there has never been a group of people treated so badly in our Nation’s history. They are suffering still, many ruined, and I felt that they should be given compensation for what has been done to them. I gave up any payments for myself, which would have been substantial, including for the illegal and unprecedented raid on Mar-a-Lago, my home in Florida, even though many legal experts, and others, including John Cornyn, said it was a shocking and disgusting display of “weaponization” against me. Such an event has never happened before, and hopefully will never happen again! I will always feel that these victims of government abuse should be paid back for what they were forced to endure, their lives have been ruined! Millions of people agree with me, as was proven in my landslide Presidential win, where this was a major subject of debate, and so did John Cornyn, until he lost his Election to an opponent that I Endorsed. Todd Blanche, a good man, should be immediately approved as U.S. Attorney General. Thank you for your attention to this matter! Trump” on July 31, 2026 at 7:03 AM ET.
This is Trump’s 1st message released by Trump today. On average, Trump produces 18 posts per day since his inauguration on January 20, 2025.
The move fits a broader pattern in Trump’s recent messaging, with 17 of his 419 posts over the last 30 days focused on legal matters.
The stakes fall on both the proposed fund and Blanche’s path to the Justice Department. Departing senators want the fund set aside or codified in law before they vote, according to wlrn.org. A payout would benefit people prosecuted after the 2021 Capitol riot, while opponents argue it would reward rioters using taxpayer money.
Cornyn’s political standing frames the feud. He lost his re-election bid last month after Trump endorsed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in the GOP primary, according to wlrn.org. The defeat made Cornyn the first incumbent senator from Texas to lose to a primary challenger since 1970, according to wlrn.org. Republican voters chose Paxton at the party’s May 26 convention in Austin, ending a Senate career that began with Cornyn’s 2002 victory, according to texasstandard.org.
The resistance extends beyond Cornyn. Senators Thom Tillis of North Carolina and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, both leaving Congress after clashes with Trump, have joined the push for assurances that Jan. 6 rioters will not receive money, according to wlrn.org. Tillis earlier held up Trump’s Federal Reserve chair pick, Kevin Warsh, until the Justice Department agreed to drop a probe into former chair Jerome Powell, according to wlrn.org.
The fight touches how federal money gets spent and how a president leans on senators facing no future campaign. Trump’s approval rating fell to a record low of 36% in the latest NPR/PBS News/Marist poll, with only a third of Americans approving of his handling of the economy, according to wlrn.org.
This has happened before. Republicans who drew Trump’s ire have tried to shift the party’s direction and mostly failed, according to wlrn.org. Former Arizona Senator Jeff Flake announced in 2017 that he would retire after his own conflicts with Trump, and the party moved on without him.
The next decision rests with the Senate on Blanche’s confirmation and with the Justice Department on the fund, which the department has said is not moving forward, according to wlrn.org. A date for a confirmation vote has not been announced.
Texas primaries have unseated powerful incumbents before, though rarely. The last sitting Texas senator to fall in a party primary before Cornyn was Ralph Yarborough in 1970, according to wlrn.org. Yarborough, a New Deal Democrat who had held the seat since 1957, lost to Lloyd Bentsen and never returned to elective office, closing an era of liberal Texas Democrats much as Cornyn’s loss closed the Bush-style Republican chapter.
Assigned topic: Legal.
This is Trump’s 1st Truth Social post today, out of 1 total today.
On average, Trump produces 18 posts per day since his inauguration on January 20, 2025.
Trump’s last post was 11 hours ago.
This post is not part of a thread.
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